Collaborative energy benchmarking systems and methods
First Claim
1. A computer-readable memory storing instructions that, if executed by a computing system having a processor, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:
- for each of a plurality of consumers,receiving information associated with energy usage of the consumer from a database,receiving background information about at least one property of the consumer from the database, andcreating one or more energy benchmarks that measure the energy usage of the consumer;
creating an energy performance display that communicates the one or more energy benchmarks to at least one consumer from among a subset of the plurality of consumers;
receiving a challenge definition from the at least one consumer from among the subset of the plurality of consumers,wherein the received challenge definition defines an energy conservation challenge that is associated with reducing energy usage and that is based on at least one of the created one or more energy benchmarks; and
measuring performance of each consumer of a group of at least two different consumers according to the received challenge definition.
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Abstract
Systems and methods for providing collaborative energy benchmarking are described. Information including background data, energy consumption data, temporal data, and/or other information is gathered from multiple sources and stored in a central database. Based on the stored information, energy benchmarks are created for measuring residential energy usage. Energy usage data is displayed to consumers in multiple formats, and permits consumers to directly compare their energy usage data to other consumers or groups of consumers, in addition to their own energy usage. In some embodiments, energy challenge programs encourage reduction of energy usage. Through such programs, consumers create and present challenges for themselves and/or other consumers, such as to reduce energy usage during a given timeframe. The progress of the group and individual consumers is displayed during the course of a challenge.
90 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-readable memory storing instructions that, if executed by a computing system having a processor, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:
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for each of a plurality of consumers, receiving information associated with energy usage of the consumer from a database, receiving background information about at least one property of the consumer from the database, and creating one or more energy benchmarks that measure the energy usage of the consumer; creating an energy performance display that communicates the one or more energy benchmarks to at least one consumer from among a subset of the plurality of consumers; receiving a challenge definition from the at least one consumer from among the subset of the plurality of consumers, wherein the received challenge definition defines an energy conservation challenge that is associated with reducing energy usage and that is based on at least one of the created one or more energy benchmarks; and measuring performance of each consumer of a group of at least two different consumers according to the received challenge definition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method, performed by a computer having a processor, the method comprising:
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creating one or more energy benchmarks that measure energy usage of a consumer, wherein at least one of the one or more energy benchmarks is created based at least in part on information associated with the energy usage of the consumer and information about at least one property of the consumer; and receiving a challenge definition from the consumer, wherein the received challenge definition defines; an energy conservation challenge that is associated with reducing energy usage and that is based on at least one of the created one or more energy benchmarks, and wherein each of the components comprises computer-executable instructions stored in the memory for execution by the processor. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computing system, having a memory and a processor, the computing system comprising:
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a component configured to receive information associated with energy usage of a consumer; a component configured to create, based on at least a portion of the received information, one or more energy benchmarks that measure the energy usage of the consumer, wherein at least one of the one or more energy benchmarks is created based at least in part on information about at least one property of the consumer; and a component configured to receive a challenge definition from the consumer, wherein the received challenge definition defines; an energy conservation challenge that is associated with reducing energy usage and that is based on at least one of the created one or more energy benchmarks, and wherein the received challenge definition includes an indication of a group of at least two different consumers to which the challenge applies, wherein each of the components comprises computer-executable instructions stored in the memory for execution by the processor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification